Family honoring daughter's namesake among fans at Hall

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July 23, 2012

Family honoring daughter's namesake among fans at Hall

By Greg Klein Contributing Writer The Daily Star Mon Jul 23, 2012, 03:30 AM EDT

When he heard that Barry Larkin got elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, lifelong Cincinnati Reds fan Bill Brady knew he had to bring his daughter to Cooperstown.

Larkin Brady, 7, was named after the Reds shortstop, after all.

"I promised Larkin when Barry went into the Hall of Fame, we would bring her up here," said Brady, a Cincinnati native who now lives in Takoma Park, Md.

For years, Brady said, his daughter's favorite bedtime story was about how she got her name.

"My nephew was 5 at the time, and we told him he could help us with names," Brady said. "So he sent us a postcard with a list on it. It had his name, his father's name, and then a bunch of names of Reds players: Ken, then Griffey, then Adam for Adam Dunn, then Dunn, then Barry, then Larkin.

"At first we thought we were going to have a boy. At about 6 months (when they learned they were having a girl), my wife said to me, 'You know, Larkin is a pretty name for a girl.'

"When I told my nephew, 'Christopher, you named your niece,' he was tickled pink," Brady said.

The Brady family joined a red-and-blue Induction crowd of Reds and Cubs fans, nearly evenly split between the two.

"It is like the whole weekend is one friendly Reds-Cubs game," theater owner Ron Onesti of Chicago said. "You look into the crowd, and it is like there is a friendly battle going on as to who could bring the most fans."

For Cincinnati fans, the trip was inspired by the lure of seeing a hometown hero go into the Hall. Larkin grew up in Cincinnati and spent his entire 19-year career with the Reds.

"It is special," said Marshall Stills Jr., of Xenia, Ohio. "I am a lifelong Barry Larkin fan. I didn't have to follow him from team to team. I could watch him his entire career with the Reds."

Added Brady: "You know, he was just a classy guy. Cincinnati is a small town. People know what kind of person you are. Everybody knows Barry was a good guy."

For Cubs fans, the induction of Ron Santo may have been even more special. The late Cub third baseman and longtime announcer for the team died last year, just before his induction by the Golden Era Veterans Committee.

"Ronny is the Cubs," said Jim Pacifici of Chicago, who spent nearly 24 hours over two days driving to get to the induction. "All these fans are here because of Ron. We're Cubs fans, we love our team, but we love Ron Santo."

Bob Fannello, 59, of Rockford, Ill., made the trip with his 30-year-old son Matthew.

"He came through in 2005 when Ryne Sandberg was inducted and got me a bat," Fannello said. "This trip was a surprise for him to celebrate my 59th birthday and his 30th birthday. I called him up and said, 'Matthew, we're going to Cooperstown to get another bat.'"

"Ronny was my hero," Fanello said. "I'm here for him. You may be surprised by how many Cubs fans are here, but I'm not. It is a worldwide phenomenon. We all love Ron Santo."